Here at Price Chopper/Market 32, we have a way of celebrating the communities that we are a part of. We call it home.grown. Supporting the farmers and producers of the Northeast is something we’ve taken to heart since 1932. It’s our unwavering commitment to honoring our homegrown roots. This month we’re highlighting local farms from across the Northeast. Based in Colchester, Vermont, we’re proud to partner with Paul Mazza Farms. Paul Mazza Farms has been a local partner of ours for 15 years. Located over approximately 250 acres of land across Jericho, Williston, Essex, and Colchester. They focus on sourcing strawberries in June and July, then sweet corn, cucumbers, and peppers later on in the year. Owner Paul Mazza works with his family and hires about 50 seasonal workers to keep the farm in top notch shape. Both farm locations, one in Colchester and the other in Essex, offer pick-your-own strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. In addition to Price Chopper, you can find Paul Mazza Farms products in restaurants and smaller farm stands around Vermont. We are proud to work with local farms like Paul Mazza Farms. Their dedication and hard work has allowed them to find success here at home. As a result, we are able to sell high quality, local products in our stores! Here at Price Chopper/Market 32, we have a way of celebrating the communities that we are a part of. We call it home.grown. Supporting the farmers and producers of the Northeast is something we’ve taken to heart since 1932. It’s our unwavering commitment to honoring our homegrown roots. This month we’re highlighting local farms from across the Northeast. Based in Cheshire, Connecticut, we’re proud to partner with Maple Lane Farms. Maple Lane Farms, a currant berry farm, has been a local partner of ours for over a decade. They specialize in black currants, a dark purple fruit with four times the vitamin C of oranges, and more antioxidants than blueberries. They also provide a healthy dose of iron, potassium, and organic acids. Today, Allyn Brown of Maple Lane, is the largest black currant grower in North America. He grows, harvests, and crushes the berries to create his Currant Affair juice. These juices come in Currant Affair Black Currant Juice and Currant Affair Black Currant Juice Blends, sold in Price Chopper stores. We are proud to work with local farms like Maple Lane Farms. Their dedication and hard work has allowed them to find success here at home. As a result, we are able to sell high quality, local products in our stores! We had an awesome time visiting Kinderhook Creek Farm! We spent the day hanging out with Farmer Larry Eckhardt and the Kinderhook Creek Farm family to chat with our Facebook followers about sweet corn and all things produce! With Larry’s help, we were able to answer many of your questions. Below are some of the most popular questions & answers from Larry himself!  

  How do you know when cantaloupes are ripe? LE: In the store I always smell the stem scar. If it smells sweet, then it’s a good one!   Is it best to leave the corn husk on until just before you cook it? LE: I would leave the husk on until ready to use.   With all the watermelon that is seedless, how is the crop sustained? LE: Seedless watermelon requires planting a seeded variety beside it, as a pollinator!   How can I introduce new produce into my families’ diet? LE: Make it fun and delicious. Serve it with ranch dressing if the kids like that. Or hide them in baking.   What’s the best way to store tomatoes and cucumbers so they last longer? LE: Tomatoes should be kept in a cool, dry environment, but not the refrigerator. Cucumbers, on the other hand, need the cool, crisp drawer in your refrigerator.   When will the local corn be ready? LE: We’ve started to harvest, but next week should start to pick up. You should see more local corn arriving in stores around July 22.   How do you pick the best watermelon? LE: We pick our watermelon by looking at the tail (curly vine). The tail has to be drying or turning brown. If you think of a leaf, it starts to fall off the tree when it has dried up, that means it is ripe. It is the same for watermelons. If it comes off the vine very easy, it is ripe and ready for harvest.   How many different vegetables do you grow? LE: We grow pumpkins, sweet corn, hard squash, and summer squash for Price Chopper, but we also grow other produce for our roadside market.   What is the best way to cook corn on the cob? LE: My favorite way is to husk the corn, boil the water, add the corn (not all has to be submerged), return to a boil and just a few minutes longer. You can easily over cook corn!   What is the best way to keep lettuce fresher longer once you buy it? LE: I keep it in an air-tight bag and remove all the air.   With all this rain are the summer veggies going to make it ok? LE: Yes, they are. It’s just they will be ready later than expected.   What is the correct way to freeze corn on the cob? LE: Husk the corn, put it in boiling water and blanch it for 3 minutes or less, then cut it off the cob and freeze it. We freeze it in plastic bags, in the quantity we plan to use it later.   Written by Jane Golub Director In-Store Marketing Programs July 16, 2017

UNCLE BEN’S FLAVOR INFUSIONS

If your family loves incredibly flavorful rice meals, there’s something new you have to try! Introducing UNCLE BEN’S Flavor Infusions, a new line of convenient and delicious rice products.  Leave it to the UNCLE BEN’s brand to find a way to infuse incredible flavor into every grain.  That means there’s no need for a flavor packet!  Each resealable pouch has 8 servings – and cooks to mouthwatering perfection in only 10 minutes. There are 5 tempting varieties to choose from, including Chicken & Herb, Garlic & Butter and Roasted Chicken.  UNCLE BEN’S Flavor Infusions are perfect as a side dish or in a one-pan meal.  You’ll find great recipes at UncleBens.com/recipes. Getting hungry?  Look for UNCLE BEN’S Flavor Infusions in the Rice aisle Written by Jane Golub Director In-Store Marketing Programs July 16, 2017 SEA CUISINE UNFISHIN’ BELIEVABLE SEAFOOD Seafood this flavorful is hard to believe.  Introducing Sea Cuisine’s newest collection of flavor-packed visibly packaged insanely premium cuts of fish.  Flavor and quality you have to see – and taste – to believe. Available in Lemon Pepper Scallops, Asian Grill Rubbed Salmon, C itrus Rubbed Salmon, Honey Chipotle Salmon, Garlic & Herb Tilapia and Stout Spiked BBQ Salmon. With these simple, expertly prepared cuts of seafood, you can feel insanely good about the fish you’re feeding your family.  There is no limit to the dishes you can create.  Explore the entire product collection – and prepare to pinch yourself. Look for Sea Cuisine products in the Frozen Seafood section. Written by Jane Golub Director In-Store Marketing Programs July 9, 2017

WELCH’S FRUIT ROLLS

Peel into NEW Welch’s Fruit Rolls and unroll the fun – one delicious bite at a time. The entire family will love each mouthwatering variety including White Grape Strawberry, Berry and Tropical Punch. Welch’s Fruit Rolls feature fruit as the first ingredient, contains 100% daily value of Vitamin C and 25% Vitamins A & E.  Welch’s Fruit Rolls are Gluten Free, Peanut Free and contain No Preservatives. Welch’s Fruit Rolls are perfect for the entire family at home or on the go. Look for Welch’s Fruit Rolls, along with other Welch’s snack items, in the Fruit Snacks aisle.     Written by Jane Golub Director In-Store Marketing Programs July 9, 2017 BORN SWEET ZING ORGANIC STEVIA SWEETENER Introducing Born Sweet Zing Organic Stevia Sweetener – perfect sweetness for body and mind.  Enjoy the delicious sweetening experience of Born Sweet Zing Organic Stevia Sweetener made with real ingredients – nothing artificial. It has the sweetness found in Mother Nature’s stevia plant, which means Zing was born sweet.  Grown in accordance with USDA organic practices, and zero calories make Born Sweet Zing absolutely perfect for adding a delicious sweetness to favorite foods and drinks throughout the day. Sprinkle it into coffee, tea or over fruit and yogurt, or try it in homemade smoothies.  Tasty recipes for smoothies and more await you at zingstevia.com. Born Sweet Zing Organic Stevia Sweetener can be found in the Baking aisle. Written by Jane Golub Director In-Store Marketing Programs July 2, 2017

MILO’S KITCHEN NATURAL MEAT DOG TREATS

               Real meat is the #1 ingredient. No artificial flavors or colors – made in the USA. Look for Milo’s Kitchen Natural Meat Dog Treats in the Pet aisle. Written by Jane Golub Director In-Store Marketing Programs July 2, 2017

MEOW MIX SIMPLE SERVING WET CAT FOOD

Introducing Meow Mix Simple Serving Wet Cat Food from the Smucker’s Pet Company -Delicious Tasting – Real Poultry or Seafood Recipes -High Quality Real Meat or Fish Shreds -Pre-Portioned Single Serve Containers -Convenient Easy-To-Open Mess-Free Cups For over 40 years Meow Mix has been making the most of mealtimes by giving cats the irresistible tastes they love and the wholesome nutrition that they need. Meow Mix understands the special bond you and your cat share.  They believe mealtime is a special moment between you and your cat and a chance to show how much you care. New Meow Mix Simple Servings offers portions of delicious wet cat food in specially designed mess-free cups. Look for all varieties of Meow Mix Simple Servings in the Pet Food aisle.       Dairy farmers are passionate people. They love their “girls”, and they have to – dairy farming is a 24-hour, 365-day per year job. Farmers are always looking for ways to take better care of their cows – literally, a happy cow enjoys better health and makes higher quality milk as the farmer’s reward for that care. Iet is a great lesson in “do it right the first time.” The New York dairy industry is impressive – about 4,000 farms. Good to know – 97% of dairy farms are family farms. That includes Murcrest Farms – a multi-generation family farm in Copenhagen, N.Y. started in the 1940s that has grown from 150 cows to over 1,000. The other important thing about dairy farmers is that they are always looking for ways to improve their main product – wholesome, delicious milk. They follow farming traditions, but like any business, they must also follow science and gather data to ensure milk meets high quality and safety standards. Mark Murray is an energetic guy that has embraced this concept – he is using technology to benefit his family farm in whole new ways. For example, after milking, the milk is cooled and sent to a holding tank. If there is any change in the temperature of the tank, the tank monitoring system sends Mark a text on his phone. The latest technology effort – they are installing a system to monitor the cows’ activity – the cows are all getting their own “fitbit-type” trackers! These cows have a free stall barn, so they can move around as much as they want – knowing more about their activity and rest will help Mark and the farm team see quickly if something is changing for any of their girls, so they can take care of them quickly. Milk quality is key to great cheese – Great Lakes has specific milk quality standards that must be met, or the milk is rejected before it even comes into the plant. Farmer Mark and assistant manager Nathan’s work is strongly connected – together they deliver delicious, great quality cheese to your plate. Mark himself walks about 15,000 steps per day – taking care of “everything with a heartbeat – cows and people” – his father Lynn manages the 3,000 acres of crops they grow to feed the cows, and his mother Peggy and wife Sara both work on business management.  Their pride in product and hard work ensures your family will enjoy the wonderful PICS cheddars we bring you every time! — Ellie Wilson, MS, RDN Senior Nutritionist